| Ask The Vet -
Q&A |
Question
My dog Kokomo is 5 year old female English Staffordshire
Bull Terrier. Unfortunately, I discovered a lump under her skin
on the top of her neck, just behind her left ear. The lump is bigger
than it was about 2 weeks ago. I thought it was an insect bite at
first. It is now a bit bigger. It does not hurt her when I touch
it. There is no colour on it. When I separate her fur I can't see
anything. It feels like a fat deposit or lump of some kind. Should
I take her to the vet?
Jon - Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
Answering questions:
Susie Samuel MA VetMB MRCVS from
Vet
Help Direct |
| Answer |
Hi
Jon,
The
lump could be an insect bite, that Kokomo has had a reaction to
or it could be a fatty lump, a cyst or, less likely, some type of
tumour. It is not possible to reliably tell what type of lump is
present just by feeling it.
Your
vet will be able to help you with this and you should get her checked
out in the next 2 weeks. Your vet might be able to get an answer
simply by sticking a needle into the lump to collect some cells.
This is known as a ‘fine needle aspirate’. For some
lumps this procedure doesn’t work and a biopsy is required.
This is a minor surgical procedure where a small sample of the lump
is collected.
You
are absolutely right that the lump is likely to be a fatty lump
or ‘lipoma’. These are benign tumours that can not spread
around the body and do not invade local tissue. They can cause problems
if they get too big by physically getting in the way or by being
injured.
She
is quite young so it is unlikely to be a tumour but it is, unfortunately
possible. The sooner you catch it if this is the case, the more
successful treatment is likely to be.
Kind regards,
Susie Samuel MA VetMB MRCVS www.vethelpdirect.com |
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